


what the water gave me

by spicykitkatbar



Series: what the water gave me [1]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, M/M, merman!din because why the heck not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 12:35:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30072348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spicykitkatbar/pseuds/spicykitkatbar
Summary: “The ocean is beautiful yet dangerous,” the man points out and you sigh as you look down at your hand gripping the sand beneath you, having heard these words many times before.A silence washes over you both for a long moment, and you find that it’s actually comforting, but it also makes you wary about him disappearing, and you keep looking up to see if he’s there. He’s not watching you though, instead he’s staring up at the starry night sky, eyes full of the same longing you felt when you stared into the vast ocean before you.****merman!din x gn!reader, because i can???
Relationships: Din Djarin/Reader, Din Djarin/You
Series: what the water gave me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2212476
Kudos: 35





	what the water gave me

You’ve heard things about mermaids since you were a child, always imagined what it would be like if you ever met one, but as you got older, you realized it was nothing but a fantasy. Mermaids weren’t real, they were only a children’s story, a myth to scare away those who wished to travel the high seas; something to dream about, nothing more. But, a small part of you always hoped that _maybe_ the myths were real. You never spoke about these thoughts with anyone, afraid of the way people would treat you if you admitted that you still had the thoughts of finding one; afraid to admit that these thoughts were why you snuck out to the ocean late at night while your family slept, staring out into the horizon, dreaming of beings living beneath the watery depths. You knew that you would be deemed childish, still dreaming of juvenile things; so you keep these thoughts to yourself, and over time, you hoped this would help you let go. 

You still sneak out to the beach— not even admitting to yourself that it was to watch for mermaids— to feel the sand beneath your bare feet, to feel the sea breeze in your hair, and to feel the _calmness_ and danger of the sea. You always felt at home by the water, always longed to go out deeper than before, despite your family’s wishes. _You belong here_ , you can hear your mother’s words echo throughout your mind as your eyes remain locked onto the dark waters before you, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing onto the shore. _The sea isn’t safe_ , you remember one of the older men in town saying to many at the tavern you work at, and you know it isn’t; you’ve seen what it does to those who have sailed it, what it can do during a storm— but there’s still something about it that you can’t shake, something that draws you to it’s mysterious beauty. Maybe it was still your child-like wonder, or your love for the unknown, you can’t figure it out, but you still feel that longing to be in the ocean’s embrace.

It’s why you find yourself on the beach after sleep couldn’t find you, why you ventured closer to the water’s edge, letting the water lap at your feet, watching as the seafoam lingers in the sand around you. You normally don’t touch the water, knowing that you would only want to go deeper and deeper, further and further until the waves swept you away. Something was different tonight, there’s something you can’t quite place, and it scares you but makes your curiosity overwhelming. You want to know _why_ you felt this way, but you don’t know if you’ll ever get your answer. Your eyes remain locked onto the waves, even as you step forward, until the water licks at your calves, the edges of your pants soaking but you pay no mind as you inhale the scent of the sea around you. You close your eyes as you exhale, your shoulders dropping as you relax, letting the sounds around you put you at ease.

But that’s when you hear something, you hear the sounds of movement— it almost sounded like splashing, as if _someone_ was out here with you— and your eyes shot open, flickering around frantically to try and locate where the sound was coming from, but it’s too dark to see, seeing that the moon was now blocked by thick clouds, and you can feel your heart pounding against your ribcage as you try to figure out what this sound is.

“Is someone there?” you call out, trying to sound as though you aren’t afraid of who or _what_ is out there, but your voice wavers; showing that you are _terrified_.

No one answers you, but you can feel eyes on you, can feel someone watching you. It makes you feel unnerved, and you step closer, despite your body telling you to get out of the water, your mind screaming at you to get back to the safety of the shore. You don’t listen, eyes narrowing on a shape in the horizon, the clouds moving out of the moon’s light. Something is out there, something that wasn’t there before.

“Hello?” you call out again, eyes burning as you refuse to close them, thinking that if you blink, the shape in the distance will disappear, will vanish before you have the chance to determine if you were really seeing something there. 

Walking deeper into the water, you don’t realize how deep you are until you can feel your shirt soaking through to your night clothes beneath, and you can’t help the shiver that leaves you in the cold ocean. You know this is dangerous, considering you weren't the best swimmer, but you want to know what’s out there. Something you’d soon regret. The shape you see in the distance seems to be moving away from you, even as you call out to it again, begging for it to come closer, to reveal itself, and that’s your downfall. You didn’t realize how close you have been to the sandbar, and you find yourself dipping under the water, gasping before you go under, the waves making you stumble as you try to surface. When your head breaches the surface, you gulp down air but it’s not enough as the waves crash over you again, the ocean dragging you deeper into her embrace. You’re panicking now, frantically trying to get out, trying to get to safety, but your body is tiring quickly.

You feel numb, arms screaming as you still try to get out of the water, legs begging for rest as you kick and squirm, fighting to stay above the waves that only seemed to be getting rougher and rougher by the second; until you can’t fight it any longer. If you hadn’t been scared before, you were petrified now, begging and praying to whoever will listen to save you from this, to let you get out of the water. Your vision is slowly getting dark, your lungs burning as you swallow water, and your body starts to slow; your fight dying as you begin to drown.

You don’t register that arms wrap around your waist, or that someone is pulling you against their chest; you don’t even realize your moving back up to the surface, you don’t realize someone is saving you. Part of you, the part that is still present believes that you’re going towards the light, that the ocean really made you become one with her, that she’s dragging you deeper into her darkness. Even as you get onto the shore, the sand rough against your clammy skin, you don’t know what’s going on. You feel something— someone— pushing on your chest, someone’s lips on your own, breathing life into you, and your only thought was that you’re _dead_ , that you drowned because you were too idiotic to stop walking into the ocean.

A cough makes its way into your throat and you nearly choke on the water leaving your lungs, but someone helps you roll onto your side to spit the saltiness from your mouth, gagging on it as your forehead meets the roughness of the sand. You’re in a daze as you fall onto your back again, staring up into the starry night sky, not believing that you aren’t dead. Movement catches your peripheral vision, and you see a man next to you; one with dark eyes and hair, handsome features, but before you can get a really good look at him, you see him moving away; you’re too groggy to follow him, eyes drifting shut as you feel your exhaustion taking over. You can feel his hands on you, most likely making sure you were alright and you let out a weak sound before you finally feel you’re able to speak.

“Thank you.” you tell him, your voice cracking around the words as they push past the pain in your throat, the words sound pained, but you want him to know that you are thankful for him saving your life.

“You shouldn’t have been out there if you don’t know how to swim,” you hear him deadpan, his tone rough, and under different circumstances, you might have felt a different feeling other than annoyance. 

But, like the graceless being you are, you find yourself drifting off before you can respond, and before you know it, you’ve passed out on the beach next to a man you’ve never met before.

You wake up alone on the beach, dawn quickly approaching and the man is nowhere to be seen.

* * *

After your nightly _swim_ and near death, you don’t venture to the beach at night, though you walk around town, trying to see if you catch sight of this unknown man and his dark eyes, but you never find him. You don’t know where he was from, or where he came from, and it makes you wonder if it was all a damn dream. But, you can still feel his hands on your skin as he dragged you from the water, can still feel his lips against yours as he breathed life into your lungs…

You give up shortly after though, figuring that you’d never see this man again, and over the next few days you busy yourself with helping around the tavern, or help your mother with chores around your family home. You ignore the ocean for as long as you can, but you keep catching yourself looking towards the beach with longing and your mind keeps wandering to the man with dark eyes who saved your life. You ignore the desire to step foot on the beach for a few days, but the yearning to go back ends up becoming too much.

You wait until nightfall as you always did, creeping out of your seaside cabin to not wake anyone else inside, and make your way down the path that leads to the secluded part of the beach that you had found yourself in after you had woken up days before. A part of you hopes the man is there, but you know it's foolish, because you know he won't be there. You were right. A soft, disappointed sigh leaves your lips and you find that you are annoyed with yourself, because you should be happy he isn’t there. You can only imagine the sarcastic remark that would have left his lips, seeing as that was the only thing you heard from him that night.

The sand is soft beneath you when you sit down, this time not brave enough to step into the water, and you stare into the waves, images of what happened last time flashing in your mind, and you shudder. The ocean was beautiful yet dangerous, something you’d never forget, something you know would never leave your mind. You don’t plan on experiencing it ever again either.

“Back again, are we?” you hear a voice nearby and you jump, eyes on the beach behind you before they flicker over to the water, seeing _someone_ in the water.

The man from before.

“Not here to drown yourself, I hope,” he adds as you stand, brushing the sand off your bottom. You shoot him a glare. “I won’t save you this time.”

“Listen you…” you begin, pointing at the strange man in the water, wondering what he’s doing, but too heated to think much on it at the moment. “I said thank you… you don’t need to make me feel dumber for my mistake,” you huff.

A chuckle leaves him at that, and you feel _warmth_ flooding your cheeks and neck at the sound, fist balling up at your sides as you grumble some rather rude words in his direction.

“At least you know you made a mistake.”

Your eyes narrow at him once more, lips set in a deep frown.

“You’re a bastard,” you grit out, only making him chuckle again.

“A bastard who saved your life.”

“Yeah well… you shouldn’t belittle me for it,” you grumble again, crossing your arms over your chest. You look away from him for a moment, and how nice his arms look as they are folded over the rock he’s resting on. “What the hell are you doing out here anyways?”

A brow raises and you see his lips twitch as if he was going to smile, but when you glare at him, it stops.

“Late night swim.” he remarks, and you roll your eyes.

“Uh huh, sure. And to make fun of me, I see.”

Another chuckle leaves him at that, and you huff, flopping back down on the shore now that you’re closer to him. This time, you take in his features; a scruffy jaw, messy dark curls crowning his head, defined nose and jaw, soft lips that you know the feel of— he’s… gorgeous in a ruggish way, beautiful in his roughness. A sense of longing makes itself known as you take him in, your thoughts turning to the feeling of his hands on you again as well as the feeling of his lips on yours, something that makes you flush as you look away from him, hoping he doesn’t know what you’re thinking.

“I came to see if you were okay,” you hear him say after a moment, your gaze shifting back to him, brow raised high. “I— you didn’t come back to the beach for a while.”

You blink at him, confusion evident in your expression, lips agape as you stare at him. His eyes leave yours and you can tell that he’s embarrassed by his statement, his admission to actually being worried despite his rather sarcastic remarks before.

“Yeah… well, I almost died…”

He nods.

“Thank you, for saving me, I really mean it.”

The man smiles briefly, a half smile, but a smile nonetheless. It makes your heart skip a beat regardless, and you have to look away as your flush deepens.

“Just be more careful.”

You laugh at that, “You know, I thought about that before I stepped into the water, and still did it. Thought I saw _something_ and I just— I needed to see it.”

“The ocean is beautiful yet dangerous,” the man points out and you sigh as you look down at your hand gripping the sand beneath you, having heard these words many times before.

A silence washes over you both for a long moment, and you find that it’s actually comforting, but it also makes you wary about him disappearing, and you keep looking up to see if he’s there. He’s not watching you though, instead he’s staring up at the starry night sky, eyes full of the same longing you felt when you stared into the vast ocean before you.

“You know… I looked for you in town after you saved me,” you admit, your voice quiet as you feel yourself heating up with shame, feeling shy as you don’t look up to meet his gaze even when you feel his dark eyes on you once more. “But I never saw you. It was as if you just… vanished, and I almost thought I had dreamt this all up. That you were nothing more than a fragment of my imagination.”

“I don’t live in town,” he explains, and you look at him in confusion once again. He looks sheepish now, slightly nervous as his eyes dart around, as if he was nervous.

“What do you mean?” you ask foolishly.

He stares at you for a long moment before he sighs, and you watch as his back straightens, his hands flattening against the rock as he straightens his arms, pulling himself up onto the rock. Your eyes drop to his bared chest, watching as drops of water flowed down the expanse of his toned chest, lips parting. But then you look lower, and that’s when you see it. Scales. Beautiful scales of silver, browns, and some white decorating his lower body, and your mouth goes dry as you realize _what_ you’re seeing. Where his legs should be, had he been _human_ , rests a tail; one that looks more like a shark than what you’ve seen in children’s books. He rests on the rock now, expression unreadable as he watches your reaction and you can’t help the surprised gasp that leaves your throat.

“You’re… oh maker…” you begin, eyes going from his dark hues to his _tail_ , not really comprehending what you’re actually seeing. “I can’t believe it.”

“Never seen a merman before?”

“Well _obviously_ ,” you breathe out with a laugh of disbelief. “No, I haven’t seen a _merman_ before.”

He looks shy now as his gaze leaves you, and you can’t help but stare at him, taking in _everything_ because you really can’t believe what you’re seeing. A merman is _really_ sitting before you and you don’t even know if you really believe it. With shaky limbs, you stand, drawing his eyes back to you.You’re slow to approach, not wanting to scare him, and he watches you with caution as you make your way to the water’s edge, gaze never leaving his. You pause in your steps to slip your shoes from your feet, at least saving them from the dark waters licking at your toes, throwing them behind you before your gaze catches his once more.

“Is… is it okay if I come closer?” you ask him, and you watch as his head tilts, dark eyes unreadable for a short moment until they soften and he nods. You don’t add anything as you take a step into the water, ignoring the shiver that leaves you at the chilliness of the sea. You move slowly, glad that the waves are calmer tonight, making your steps easier than they had been nights before this.

Before you know it, you’re standing before him, the water high on your hips as you look up at him, taking in how he looks up close. You can see that his torso, arms, and parts of his tail are littered with scars and you find yourself wanting to trace over them but you resist the urge, knowing that would be far too intimate to do considering you’ve only just met. You can see that some parts of his body have silver scales other than his tail; small patterns on his shoulders and forearms, and on his cheeks. His eyes are dark, but you can see that they aren’t black as you had originally thought, but brown and so wide as they stare at you, watching you with caution and curiosity; just as you are watching him. His hair is slightly damp, his curls standing out more as it dries and you wonder what it would feel like between your fingers. He’s even more handsome up close, you realize as you flush, trying to keep calm as you look up at him.

He’s one of the most beautiful beings you’ve ever seen.

“I have to be dreaming,” you breathe out, face burning hot when you realize you’ve said it outloud.

“I promise you aren’t,” he mutters and you catch that hint of a smile again. You watch him as he slowly raises his large hand, seeing that the light dusting of scales on the backs of his hand glints in the moonlight, and that he has short claws, and you wait with bated breath as he reaches for you. His palm enfolds around your hand, his touch sending sparks throughout your arm, and you try to hold back a shiver at the feeling of his rough calluses against your skin. He raises your hand, his gaze leaving yours to stare at your joined hands. His touch makes you realize that you are very much awake, that he’s really there, and you can’t stop the laugh that bubbles from your lips. 

A brow raises as his gaze meets yours again, and you smile sheepishly.

“Sorry, I just… we were always told that mermaids aren't real. That they were nothing more than a children’s story,” you explain, gaze leaving his dark eyes to stare down at his hand still holding yours, flexing your fingers in his hold until you find yourself tracing over the small patch of scales on his skin. “We were told that it was just a story to scare us away from the sea.”

“I see,” he murmurs. “Seems those stories haven’t stopped you.”

“No, they haven’t,” you admit, eyes lifting once more to catch his gaze. “And now that I know that _you’re_ real, I think I’m even more intrigued about the ocean and all her wonders.”

He laughs, low and deep in his chest, and you catch a peek of what you think are fangs, but his expression changes before you can really get a good look. _Interesting_ , you still muse, even as you watch his lips curl into a small smirk.

“Maybe you should learn to swim better before you try looking again.”

“Oh, _shut up_ ,” you say with a soft huff, only making him laugh once more.

* * *

  
  


The stranger, the _merman_ , ends up visiting you a lot after that night. _I’ve never been this close to a human before_ , he had admitted to you one night while you resided on his rock with him, watching as his tail shifted from where it was in the water. _Was always told they weren’t allowed to see us_.

You hadn’t admitted how that made you feel, that he was breaking some kind of rule to see you, and you swore to him that you’d never breath his existence to a soul. He seemed to appreciate that, you could tell by the way he gave you one of his rare smiles; one that had your heart skipping a beat in your chest, one that you dreamed of during the nights you couldn’t come see him.

You began to notice that he preferred to remain quiet as you spoke, just listening to you as you went on about your day. He’d put in his input, his opinion, or ask you a question, but it would be short and straight to the point. You actually enjoyed that, because you were so used to others talking over you, but knowing that you had his undivided attention… it made something burn inside of you. 

“Say,” you begin one night as you’re both sitting on the shore, watching as his dark gaze locks onto you. “We’ve never actually introduced ourselves. I don’t even know your name.”

His brow raises at that, lips parting before he huffs, “I don’t see why that matters.”

“Well, what am I supposed to call you?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

You don’t say anything, sinking deeper into the sand where you sit. The merman’s gaze leaves yours, and you see that he looks distant for a moment. You want to backtrack now, realizing you might have overstepped something, lips parting to apologize, but stop when he sighs.

“Din,” he tells you quietly, quiet enough that you almost don’t hear him. “My name is Din.”

You repeat it back to him, making him look at you and you smile fondly at the name before you tell him your own. He says it back to you and your smile only grows.

As the nightly visits continue, you begin to notice that you are becoming enraptured by Din, that you look forward to seeing him. It scares you because you’ve never felt this way with anyone before, and you aren’t quite sure how Din would react to it, so you keep quiet about your feelings because all of this was so new; for both of you. Din wasn’t used to being around many others, he told you he was a loner, spending most of his days avoiding everything and everyone… and you were still getting used to the idea that merfolk did exist. You can’t put your finger on it, but you know that there’s something in him that you long for, much like the longing you felt when you stared out into the dark waters of the ocean surrounding the island you call home. Maybe it was the freedom he was granted, or that you just wanted to be with him, you didn’t know. You try not to dwell on the thought too much, not wanting to scare him off. 

The first night you’re unable to meet him at the beach in a long while, you’re overcome with guilt, even with telling yourself that he would understand. And you feel a sense of dread at the thought of him thinking you didn’t want to see him anymore. Those fears dissipate as soon as you speak them aloud when you see him the night after. He laughs and tells you he wouldn’t hold it against you, but you still apologize profusely, until he put a hand under your chin to make you look at him; his dark brown hues holding a slight amusement in them while your own are wide with surprise. You’re sure you look like a fish out of water as you stare up at him.

“I figured you were busy,” he reassured you, and sighs when you try to argue. “I’m sure something came up.”

“But-- Din…”

He shakes his head, “It’s fine, really.”

You huff, face on fire as his thumb brushes over your cheekbone for a brief second before his hand drops. You’re silent, biting your lip as your hands dig into the sand under you, letting it fall from your fingers while your eyes stare out at the calm sea; yearning for Din’s hand on your face once again, but also to feel the water.

“Do you trust me?” he asks after a moment, as if sensing your change in mood.

This time, you raise a brow at him, giving him a rather confused and alarmed expression. Because _of course_ you trust him, he did save your life after all.

“What kind of question is that?” you retort, turning so you’re facing him entirely.

A chuckle leaves him at that, “Do you _trust me_?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

You didn’t expect this to become a late night swim when he asked that, but you find yourself in the water with him anyways, in nothing but your underclothes as his hands rest on your waist as he holds you up in the water, much like he had when he saved your life. You try to keep your flushing to a minimum but you know you’re failing miserably as you rest your hands on his shoulders. He looks calmer in the water, you note, and that helps you not freak out about being in the ocean after you had almost drowned, knowing that he wasn’t afraid. You knew this was silly, because of course he wouldn’t be afraid of the water, but you didn’t fight it. 

“This is a lot nicer than the last time,” you remark, and Din laughs.

“I sure hope so. Last time you were unconscious,” he reminds you, and you roll your eyes playfully.

“I will admit, if it weren’t for you, I’m sure I never would have set foot in here again.”

He gives you a soft look, one that you aren’t sure what it means, but it’s gone in the blink of an eye, and you think maybe you just imagined it.

“I’m sure you would have found a way back,” he muses, pulling you a bit closer when you tense against a small wave lifting you both. “You always tell me how much you love the water.”

Your arms hold him closer when another wave comes, realizing you are much deeper than before. 

“It’s still pretty scary,” you admit, voice low as if the ocean would hear you.

“I got you,” Din murmurs, his own tone soft and quiet, making your heart skip a beat as you catch his gaze; trusting him a lot more than you initially thought. “I won’t let anything happen to you, cyare.”

You blink at him, eyes searching his-- for what you don’t know-- and you feel your lips part to ask him what that word means, when something brushes your leg. You cling to him with a slight yelp, pushing yourself into his toned chest, wrapping your legs around his waist to get them away from _whatever_ just touched you. You feel him laughing more than you hear it, his body trembling with his humor as you realize it was his tail, glaring at him when you turn your head to look at him. You see his canines in this light as he’s laughing, and you flush as you let the sound echo around you. It dawns on you how close you both are now, his arms wrapped around you, holding him to his chest even as his laughter has died down; you can feel his breath fanning over your face, making your gaze drop to his lips, suddenly remembering the feeling of them on your own all those months ago when he saved you. You lick at your bottom lip before your gaze flickers back to him, seeing an expression you’ve never seen on his face before. He’s looking at you like he’s never quite seen you before, dark hues searching your face as his hands splay over your back, his palms hot against you even through your nightclothes.

“Din,” you breathe softly, sounding just as breathless as you felt, and his gaze that had been on your lips goes back to yours. You don’t give him a chance to respond though, you don’t think you really wanted one, as you surge forward, lips meeting his as your hands cup his jaw, feeling his strong jawbone beneath your palms. But before it deepens, the merman pulls away, leaving you feeling guilty as you think you’ve done something wrong. 

His eyes flicker between yours as you try to think of anything to say, to apologize or to try and explain yourself; but then a small growl leaves him, one that makes your insides turn to jelly, and his lips meet yours again, one of his hands curling around the back of your head, fingers gripping your wet hair as you gasp against him.

“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted this,” he says against your lips as your own hands reach back to tangle in his dark curls, a smile reaching your mouth as he presses another kiss against them.

“I can imagine,” you tease and kiss him again.

You continue to kiss until you shiver, the water causing you to prune, and he helps you back to shore, until you’re both laying on the sand. You’re on your back as you stare up at him, hand cupping the side of his neck as he gazes down at you, making you feel warm and fuzzy, wishing this night would never end. You know it will sooner rather than later, as much as you want to stay here with Din, under the stars and listening to the waves crash into the rocks around the cove. He seems to notice too, his chocolate hues turning sad as the first sign of dawn emerges, pressing softer kisses against your cheeks as you begin to tell him you have to go.

“Before I leave,” you murmur as his lips meet your jaw and he hums against you. “What does cyare mean?”

He kisses you again, hand cupping your jaw as he whispers his answer into your lips. “Beloved,” he tells you. “My beloved,” he breathes once more.

Your heart is pounding at that and you can’t help but pull him closer, running your hands through his hair as you kiss him again and again, until he reluctantly pulls away. You know you need to get back, but you stand at the shore, watching as the-- _your_ \-- merman swims away, until he disappears as the sun begins to rise.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> So uh, this started as a joke between a few people I’m in a discord server with as well as my roommate, and it definitely wasn’t supposed to be this big of a fanfiction, but i couldn’t stop writing it. There will be a second part to this! This was a really fun au to write! 
> 
> Don’t be afraid to shoot me a message on tumblr (@rhysatlas) or on discord (@ rhysatlas #1189)!


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